


Risk It All On Me (Or Lose the Chance)

by Bazzys



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bets & Wagers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Playboy!Jongho, That typical romance stuff, Virgin!Seonghwa, attempted humour
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:22:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21571204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bazzys/pseuds/Bazzys
Summary: Seonghwa would like to say the night had been like any other, but considering he was now sitting in the back of an ambulance wrapped in a blanket, he reminisces how it absolutely had NOT been a normal night. Or day. Even week for that matter. Hell, it hasn’t really been his year. But moving on, let’s go back to that Monday morning.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 12
Kudos: 62





	Risk It All On Me (Or Lose the Chance)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, is this--is this working? Can you hear me? Okay good.
> 
> I'm back! And I know you're probably thinking: is Bazzys doing a... _chaptered fic??_  
Yes. Yes, I am. I know right.  
Anyways, I've been working on this for ages, and I finally managed to finish the first chap! I'm so excited to see if this ends up the way I planned (unlikely) or if my mind will go 'but what if..' and turn out completely different (no doubt bout that)
> 
> Please enjoy, and I'll get the second chapter up as soon as I have it ready!! 
> 
> hit me up on [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/BazzysAO3?s=09)
> 
> _Rating and tags may change as it updates!_

“Just go!” Mingi yells in whisper, and Seonghwa turns to shush on him for being too loud. 

“No I can’t! He’s gonna laugh at me,” Seonghwa panics, but then he sees Yunho’s pout and he shrinks. He might be the one they’re pushing towards impending doom and all that, but he was still their hyung and seeing Yunho’s puppy eyes well up makes his heart ache.

“But… but you promised,” he mutters, shoulders slumping so far down his hands are about to touch the fucking floor.

Seonghwa fumbles for words, not really sure what to say or do. Mingi decides for him, and with a determined push against his back he’s suddenly in the open and not hidden behind the safety of a book shelf anymore. He barely manages to regain his balance before he realises he almost slammed into somebody, offering a meek apology and wanting to scurry away. 

“Did you want to ask me something?” the ‘somebody’ says, clearly annoyed by Seonghwa being in his way judging by the clearly feigned interest.

Seonghwa’s eyes shoot up to said person’s face and he immediately wants to combust.

Jongho is staring at him with a blank face, turning the lollipop in his mouth between his thumb and index finger, not-so-patiently awaiting Seonghwa’s answer. Seonghwa is too occupied being in shock to even _think_, completely frozen in his spot and not being sure he’s even breathing at this point. The only sound in the library for too long is the lollipop clacking against the back of Jongho’s teeth.

Seonghwa clears his throat and straightens, body suddenly remembering vaguely how to human again. He scratches his neck and looks at the clock on the wall. 

“Oh um,” he starts, wanting to just get out any kind of a rational sentence, but then the panic rises in his chest. The next second he’s sprinting for the door, the librarian shushing Mingi and Yunho’s laughter from behind the bookshelf the last thing he hears before the door smacks shut behind him.

During lunch, Seonghwa doesn’t eat. Yunho and Mingi is mocking him for the scene earlier in the day. With his face planted onto the table top he at least doesn’t have to _look_ at them recreating the ordeal, which makes that sound much more tempting than consuming any kind of nutrient at the moment. If he could just disappear he wouldn’t even need it in the first place.

“And then he just-” Mingi wheezes the last part of the sentence, laughing too hard to be intelligible.

“Hey, hyung,” Yunho says, voice concerned. Seonghwa grunts in response, and Yunho takes that as sign to continue. “Why would you even use that excuse?”

Seonghwa groans, his entire self cringing in on itself at yet another reminder.

“And who the fuck waters their dog, I-” Yunho and Mingi bursts into a new fit of laughter, which is louder than all of their last ones, although Seonghwa thought that was impossible. 

He whines loudly and lifts his head enough to bang it back against the table a few times. Yunho and Mingi fall silent. “Why am I like this? Why do I exist? I’m positive some God somewhere just decided that _’shit I’m bored, let’s make a real mess, put it on the planet and watch all the weird ass shit it does as entertainment’_ and BOOM here I am, the awkward virgin with negative social skills, making a complete fool of myself in front of the playboy of the century who now _definitely_ doesn’t want to help me get laid,” he rants into the cold surface his nose is pressed against, arms flailing in the air around him to prove some kind of point, “I just wanna yeet myself out that window over there,” he sighs, deflated and done, pointing to the wall somewhere on the right.

Mingi’s breath audibly catches when Seonghwa’s hand knocks against something solid. Seonghwa’s brows furrow in confusion, his fingers roaming around to figure out exactly what he’s touching. There’s fabric alright, but the shape is puzzling. It’s hard, although still soft and yielding, which frankly makes NO sense, and the dips and curves are unfamiliar. 

Something wraps around his wrist, his body tensing as he realises he’s been groping an actual person. He turns his head slowly and yelps at the sight of Jongho standing over him, amusement pulling one corner of his lips into a smirk. 

“So you’re desperate, huh?” he whispers as if the damn cat wasn’t already out of the bag, nodding in feigned sympathy.

Seonghwa’s eyes dart to where Jongho’s hand has stopped his own in it’s shameless path towards his crotch, and he swears he blushes the way they do in cartoons, literally feeling that red line rising to cover his face. He yanks his arm away and turns his attention back to the table and prays for that previously mentioned God to forgive him for his blasphemy and to please open a hole in the ground to sink into. 

His attempt at redemption is rudely disturbed by the bench moving under the added weight of Jongho plumping down beside him. He glances over to see Jongho picking a handful of grapes from his untouched lunch tray and popping one into his mouth before throwing one leg to the other side (with ease, as Seonghwa oh so conveniently notices) so he’s facing him.

“So,” he says, popping another grape into his mouth, the crisp chewing of it the only continuation.

“What,” Seonghwa deadpans, wanting to log off and leave the conversation on read. 

Jongho chews another grape. The sound is starting to annoy Seonghwa more than it should. He blames it on Jongho’s proximity putting him on edge.

“So,” he repeats, “you want my help or not?” 

At this, Seonghwa twists his head so fast his neck cracks. He blinks at Jongho wide-eyed, who’s picking more food off of his tray. 

“Are you seriously willing to do that?” he responds, maybe a bit too fast and definitely way too eager, but he justifies it by thinking back to two-minutes-ago-Seonghwa who mindlessly tried to molest someone younger than him and decides nothing beats that. The angry red mark on his forehead from the attempt at inducing a concussion on himself too falls bleak in comparison. 

“Well, yeah,” Jongho answers, “but this favour goes both ways.”

At this, his voice lowers and he leans to rest his elbows against his knees, bringing him just a tad closer to Seonghwa’s face. Through the loudest staring contest ever Seonghwa vaguely hears the other two at the table scramble away at lightning speed, throwing excuses like “my grandma called I gotta fetch her some bacon” and “I forgot I made an appointment with my cat gotta run” before escaping the crime scene.

Seonghwa clears his throat, afraid to put too much trust in his juvenile vocal cords as he speaks. “Uh, both ways how?”

The way Jongho’s smile grows faintly makes him resemble the cheshire cat and it makes Seonghwa uneasy. he narrows his eyes at Jongho, who’s now getting up to leave, but not before stealing the last piece of toast from Seonghwa’s plate. 

“Meet me outside the school when the day is done, and we’ll discuss the… terms and conditions,” he instructs, waving the toast around and spreading crumbs everywhere.

Seonghwa brushes them away from his pant leg, making sure to get rid of every single one before looking back up to answer. His mouth clamps shut, however, when Jongho appears to have vanished in thin air and is not to be seen anywhere. The bell to signal the next lecture is starting goes off, and Seonghwa feels his soul escape through the cracks of his pride in a deep groan. This is gonna be a long day.

Seonghwa waits nervously under one of the trees in front of the school as the last bell of the day rings, watching the doors bust open and the heavy stream of students pouring out. He kicks at the grass in attempt to distract his mind off of the inevitable downfall hanging over him. Jongho is nowhere to be seen, and he’s starting to become anxious when the crowds thin out to an unrushed trinkle.

“Boo.”

Seonghwa screams and nearly jumps out of his skin at the word spoken directly into his ear. His ass hits the ground with a thud, and Jongho laughs loudly, attracting more than a few curious gazes. Seonghwa goes beet red, and in his rush to flee the scene he absentmindedly grabs the sleeve of Jongho’s denim jacket to haul him around the corner of the building.

Jongho has stopped laughing only to wipe away a tear when Seonghwa realises just what this looks like. He releases Jongho as if he’s been burned. _Dragged the playboy away to a secluded spot in front of the whole school._ That’s going to be awkward tomorrow. He’s never gonna live this down.

“You should’ve seen your face!” Jongho says as he succumbs to a new fit of laughter, clutching his stomach. “Oh God, I haven’t laughed this hard in months.”

Seonghwa shrinks. Not knowing what to respond, he keeps his lips sealed in a pout and waits. Jongho’s laugh eventually dies down, but he takes his time turning his attention to Seonghwa. Seonghwa catches himself staring and averts his gaze. Whether Jongho noticed or not, he doesn’t let it on.

“So, about that arrangement we discussed…” Jongho starts.

“We didn’t discuss anything, you gave he a heart attack and spread crumbs all over me,” Seonghwa retorts bitterly.

“Kinky. Now,” Jongho continues, not acknowledging Seonghwa’s disgusted face, “if I heard correctly, you’re in draught and wanna get laid.”

Seonghwa gapes and clamps his mouth shut, speechless at the bluntness and ease with which Jongho rather states than asks.

“First of all, top or bottom?” Jongho plucks a the dirt under his nails. “Do you lean towards domming or subbing? I’m guessing subby switch, you just got that feel. Any kinks I should know of?”

“Wha--wait hold up--” Seonghwa protests.

Jongho hums in something resembling a realisation. “I’d bet my lunch money you’re into choking,” he says, pointing at him with squinted eyes and a smirk.

Seonghwa’s reply gets caught in his throat at that and he starts coughing. “Will you stop that?” he complains once his breathing is working again. 

Jongho crosses his arms, eyebrows raised and awaiting for Seonghwa to elaborate. “Well?”

“I don’t--I’m not, I mean,” Seonghwa stumbles over his words, tongue paralysed at the thought of even uttering such terminology.

“Holy shit,” Jongho says, volume of his voice growing at the same rate as the width of his eyes, “you’re a virgin!”

Seonghwa yelps and clamps one of his hands over Jongho’s mouth. He shushes him, his eyes darting around nervously to check if anyone heard, relieved when there’s no one in sight. Jongho mumbles something against his palm, and Seonghwa releases him.

“What was that?” 

Jongho clears his throat. “Seriously?” he asks disbelieving. “You have a face like _that_ and never had it sat on? What the hell, man.”

“Jongho!” Seonghwa’s voice cracks in embarrassment, the scandalous imagery causing a flush to cover his cheeks. 

Jongho coos. “Oh no, sex talk makes hyung shy,” he pouts at him, stepping closer to tickle at his side. Seonghwa squirms away, slapping at the fingers. “Oh my God, that blush is precious. I cannot believe this.”

Seonghwa’s mouth contorts into pure dismay. “I knew this was a bad idea. I’ll just leave.” 

Jongho grabs his elbow to stop him from reaching for the backpack he dumped on the ground earlier. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. I’m sorry, I’ll stop,” he rushes out, playful tone completely gone.

Seonghwa regards him for a few seconds, jaw moving as if to taste his options. Then he straightens back up without a word. 

“Okay,” Jongho breathes relieved out. “May I ask what the rush is about?”

Fidgeting with the hem of his sweater paws, Seonghwa swallows. “Uhm, well,” he mumbles, “it was kind of a bet between me and my two friends,” he starts, looking uncomfortable. “At the start of the year we were all still, uhm, pristine, and we agreed that the last one to get laid would have to ask you for help.” 

Jongho nods, not saying anything. He sees that Seonghwa is insecure about the silence, but he doesn’t really know _what_ to say to that. There’s a crude comment or two on the tip of his tongue, but he swallows them rather than voice them. “So, how did you lose, in that sense?” he queries instead.

Seonghwa’s lips purse into a tight line before he speaks, kicking at a pebble on the ground. “Well, my friends kinda--they,” he stutters, gesturing with his pointer fingers to get the point across.

“They fucked each other and left you in the dust.” Jongho states, inwardly cursing the liberty of his direct way of speech when Seonghwa stops breathing. 

“Uhm, yeah--that,” he mumbles, trying to hide behind his bangs. 

Jongho nods. “I see,” he mumbles after a few long seconds. 

The silence falling over them makes the air tense despite being outside. Jongho’s never felt like this before, rendered speechless by the unexpected turn of events. He feels bad for not saying anything, seeing how it makes Seonghwa look like he wants to be swallowed by a sinkhole. 

“I just, uhm, I don’t--know how to--”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, or anyone for that matter,” Jongho tells him honestly, Seonghwa’s shoulders visibly relaxing in front of him. “Your business is your business only, and unless you actually wish to share, then don’t.”

A tiny smile adorns Seonghwa’s lips then, and despite the pull of his lips barely being noticeable, it says more than enough about his gratitude. He still mutters a ‘thank you’, though, for good measure. It’s kinda nice, Jongho recons, at least it feels that way.

“So,” Seonghwa begins, “you mentioned something about this going both ways?” 

“Ah, yes,” Jongho replies, “I need a tutor.”

Seonghwa cranes his neck. “A what?”

“Tutor. I have to ace history and English lit,” he lays out matter-of-factly.

Seonghwa stares back at him with suspicion. “Don’t you already have good grades though? Being the captain of the football team, that’s a requirement, is it not?” he asks tryingly.

“Well, yeah, it is. But I haven’t really done all of the work entirely by myself, if you get me.”

Mouth formed as an ‘o’, Seonghwa nods in understanding. “You pay people to do your assignments for you.”

Jongho scoffs, and the previous ‘nice’ atmosphere is gone just like that. “They basically begged me to let them help, what was I gonna do? Say no? Rob them of the simple pleasures in life?” 

The way Seonghwa looks at him is unimpressed. He blinks a few times, holding his tongue in hopes that Jongho will break into a laugh and tell him it was a joke. Jongho doesn’t.

“Tell me something,” he starts, “you started at this school a year early because of your talents in football, right?” He waits for Jongho to nod. “And because you have a great understanding of science, seeing as you major in both chemistry _and_ maths, correct?” Jongho nods again. “So you’re telling me that the subjects you’re struggling with are the ones that, strictly speaking, only require reading?” 

Seonghwa takes a few seconds to process the information. “Why the change of heart?”

“There’s this scholarship I’ve wanted since I was a kid, it’s all my dad’s been talking about since the first time I kicked a ball. I don’t know, it’d just feel wrong if I didn’t get that on my own, I guess,” Jongho explains with a shrug.

“Fair enough,” Seonghwa answers, “I’ll help you.”

Jongho returns the smile offered and extends his hand to shake Seonghwa’s. “Lessgetit, bro.”

“No. Just no,” Seonghwa grimaces and retracts his hand, wiping it on his trousers, “and that’s ‘hyung’ to you.”

“You’re so uptight, _hyung_, loosen up a bit will ya?” Jongho complains and rolls his eyes. “Now come on, we ain’t got all day.”

Jongho doesn’t wait for an answer as he turns his back to Seonghwa and starts walking away at a quick pace. Seonghwa scrambles into action, grabbing his backpack from the ground and jogging to catch up, struggling with the straps.

“Why? What are we doing?” he asks when he can slow to a walk.

Jongho grins mischievously. “Lesson one.”


End file.
